Dare County Schools

Best Day - 104 students from all five Dare County elementary schools participated in the community's first GO FAR road race on March 14, 2010 prior to the start of the Kelly's St. Patrick's Day Parade in Nags Head.  Samantha Brown, Dare County Schools After School Enrichment Program (ASEP) Director Samantha Brown brought GO FAR to local elementary schools in collaboration with Outer Banks Sporting Events and Events Director Jim Snyder through OBSE's Healthy Kids Initiative. Brown says that just like any adult racing event, participating students receive t-shirts, race bib numbers, post-race snacks; winners are awarded medals. Sponsors include Food Lion, Island X-Per-Tees, OBSE (Outer Banks Sporting Events) and the Outer Banks Running Club. This is one of many steps in Dare County Schools ASEP healthy kids initiative being offered to participating students, along with weekly yoga classes and the Empower Me (healthy living) curriculum.  This first GO FAR project will finish up at the finish line of a 5K race scheduled for April 17 on the inaugural Flying Pirate Outer Banks 5K sponsored by Outer Banks Sporting Events. Brown says parents can expect notices about the next GO FAR opportunity at the start of the upcoming 2010-2011 school year.

Photos: Samantha Brown

"This was by FAR the best day ASEP has ever had in my ten years here!" Dare County Schools After School Enrichment Program Director Samantha Brown knew that she had a good thing with the GO FAR program; still, she is over the moon at the response the program has received from the community, parents, and students.

Dare County Schools After-School Enrichment Program (ASEP), in collaboration with the OBSE (Outer Banks Sporting Events), is sponsoring a ten-week exercise/health and nutrition program open to all Dare County Schools elementary students. The five-week midpoint of the new "GO FAR" program coincided with the March 14 Kelly’s St. Patrick's Day Parade. Participating students led the parade, following a run along the one-mile parade route with siblings and family members. "It was absolutely awesome to see 104 Dare County elementary students running with moms, dads, grandmas, brothers and sisters," noted Brown, who brought GO FAR to Dare County.

GO FAR promotes healthy eating habits, physical fitness, character building and the benefits of staying fit and healthy. Students train twice weekly after school for ten weeks; there is a commitment fee of $5 per student in order to participate in GO FAR. The fee goes toward costs for the medals and t-shirts students receive at the completion of races.  Brown says the focus of the final weeks will be to prepare students for the Saturday, April 17 Flying Pirate Outer Banks 5K sponsored by Outer Banks Sporting Events. A shorter run finale is planned for participating children under the age of eight.

Brown was introduced to GO FAR through her friend Michelle Owens who is the National Before and Afterschool manager for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (a partnership between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation). Brown incorporates Owens' "Empower Me" healthy living curriculum in ASEP activities. Through her role with the Alliance, Owens was introduced to GO FAR creator Robin Hale-Lindsey of High Point. Lindsey is a Physician Assistant with a masters in Sports Medicine. 

"When I found GO FAR I went to Outer Banks Sporting Events and the Outer Banks Running Club for help, since the program is such a great fit with their community objectives. OBSE Director Jim Snyder agreed to partner with DCS ASEP to make this program happen as a part of the OBSE's healthy kids initiative.  The mission of the OBSE is to organize and promote sports competition and healthy living resources, provide financial resources for needed relief and support for education while contributing to economic development for the Outer Banks. 100% of OBSE's net proceeds are shared by Dare Education Foundation and Outer Banks Relief Foundation.

Dare County Parks and Recreation Hatteras Island Division Director Jaki Gray coordinates the program for Cape Hatteras Elementary School students. Parks and Rec staff member Suzanne Stark overheard Brown discussing the potential of GO FAR while attending a meeting of Healthy Carolinians of the Outer Banks (HCOB) Obesity Prevention Task Force, and enthusiastically agreed to take the program to Hatteras. Seventeen CHES students participated in the one mile pre-parade walk/run for a total of 104 student participants between the county's five elementary schools. 

Students train with faithful volunteers and coaches from the community including teachers and Outer Banks Running Club members. Brown says that the dedication of the volunteers and coaches have made GO FAR a success. Also contributing to the success of GO FAR are the programs' sponsors: Food Lion, Island X-Per-Tees, OBSE (Outer Banks Sporting Events) and the Outer Banks Running Club.  

Brown is enthusiastic about the response to GO FAR since initially introducing the concept to students and parents early this year. She and Snyder plan to offer GO FAR twice yearly, once in fall and once in late winter/spring to complement Dare Schools healthy kids initiatives offered by the district's After School Enrichment Program that include weekly yoga classes and the Empower Me healthy living curriculum.  Brown plans to start promoting the next 10-week GO FAR program in September of the next school year. Each of the district's four After School care programs are rated (the maximum) five stars based on the School-Age Care Environment Rating Scale (SACERS) awarded by the North Carolina Star-Rated License System. For information about enrolling students in ASEP, contact Samantha Brown at 480-8880 x 1868.